Reference to harsh treatment prompts censor to cut sound at Guantanamo hearing

[G_j]

http://rawstory.com/blog/2009/07/censors-appaer-at-war-crimes-haering/


Reference to harsh treatment prompts censor to cut sound at Guantanamo hearing in Sept 11 case

BEN FOX
AP News

Jul 16, 2009 16:43 EST

A reference to harsh treatment at CIA prisons brought out Guantanamo's censors Thursday as an official of the war crimes court abruptly cut the sound to prevent spectators from hearing classified information.


Cmdr. Suzanne Lachelier, a lawyer appointed by the Pentagon to defend 9/11 suspect Ramzi bin al Shibh, began discussing the prisoner's treatment before he was taken to Guantanamo in September 2006 when the censor hit the switch.

"The government can't hide the fact that they used sleep deprivation ..." Lachelier said before she was cut off and the sound of static filled a soundproof spectator section in the courtroom and a separate media viewing room. There is a 40-second delay in the spectator and media rooms.

U.S. authorities have cut the sound several times in the past to protect classified information and have held many hearings in private.

..more..

[Hydra]

1. Let's hear it for

TRANSPARENCY!

Of course, there's a problem here. If they don't want us to hear that and still want us to cheer them convicting...

[G_j]

4. a lose all credibility

not that there was any to lose.

[Eric J in MN]

2. Kangaroo court. NT

NT

[LWolf]

3. Transparency is not good for tptb. nt

[babylonsister]

5. How about another link to prove this? Nevermind, I'll look in the am. But

the AP isn't always believable.

[G_j]

6. all AP

that I could find.
Quite a lot people have picked up this particular ap story.

[babylonsister]

9. They always pick up on AP, and they're wrong lots.

Media MAtters has proof!

[Snazzy]

8. Reuters ok by you?

COURT CENSORSHIP

A court censor cut off Lachelier when she began talking about Binalshibh's complaints that he had been subjected to sleep deprivation, which critics have derided as an abusive technique used to soften prisoners for interrogation.

"The government can't hide the fact that they used sleep deprivation ..., " Lachelier said before the audio feed to observers and reporters outside the courtroom was cut off.

The audio is on a 40-second delay which allows a court security officer to hit a censor button to block material believed to be classified.

Prosecutor Clayton Trivett later said Binalshibh's complaints of sleep deprivation could be explained by the diagnosis that he suffers from delusions.

...

http://www.reuters.com/article/latestCrisis/idUSN16401308

Someone told me last time I posted something about Gitmo here that WaPo wasn't reliable news source either (front page story, our nation's second largest daily I think, and the one our national politicians wake up to. I figure they might read AP too). That story was backed up by AP and NYT, and proudly "debunked" by AFP acording to some posters. Guess it was a bablefish thing. Anyway as soon as AFP breaks something on Gitmo, I'm on it.

[bushmeister0]

11. Heard it on NPR before I went to work at 6 PM est and BBC just reported

it two minutes ago.

Is that good enough?

Makes us look real bad.

So much for the audacity of hope.

[Snazzy]

14. Yep. AP had this about 10 hrs ago

and I have somehow missed this whole trip of people being flown down to Gitmo for this "hearing." They have media, 9/11 families, all kinds of people.

[Snazzy]

12. I cross posted in LBN with the wire sources

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x3972998

Maybe this was moved due to raw story. In any case, it was absent.


--------

I'm confused on hearing vs. tribunal here. At what point does a hearing start being a trial? Is that the relevant question? Besides the torture of course.

[snot]

7. What court, where, is/was this happening?

[Snazzy]

10. this is a Gitmo military tribunal n/t

[Snazzy]

13. or hearing rather.

The Pentagon flew nearly 180 people -- judges, lawyers, interpreters, court reporters, observers and journalists -- from Washington to Guantanamo for two days of hearings in the controversial war court, created by former President George W. Bush to try suspects in his war on terrorism.

http://www.reuters.com/article/latestCrisis/idUSN16401308

[Solly Mack]

15. K&R

they did this under Bush as well

(cut the sound)

[Iggo]

16. "Harsh treatment"?

Oh! You mean TORTURE!!!!

[G_j]

17. ssshhh..

we'll have to cut off the sound!

[Iggo]

18. Oh, that's right.

Ix-nay on the orcher-tay.